The Sunshine Blogger Award

I’m a little bit overwhelmed right now – I’ve been nominated for the Sunshine Blogger Award four times this month! I’m still quite new to this and have been wondering recently whether I’ve really got the time to carry on with this blog. It means so much that you’ve all thought of me when writing your awards.

A few weeks ago I received my first nomination from Oddball Content, a blog which posts fresh takes on popular TV shows and that regularly makes me giggle. If you are looking for an entertaining read I can wholeheartedly recommend this blog. Thanks for my nomination, Oddball Content.

Around the same time I was also nominated by Wendy at My Organic Life Journey. I’ve seen some lovely recipes on this blog but Wendy also writes some interesting posts on, well, whatever takes her fancy really. They are always well written and I love that they get me thinking. Thank you for the nomination Wendy.

Last night I had a third nomination from Hannah Jayne Artis. I’ve only recently found this lifestyle and travel blog, its full of places I’d like to visit and things i’d like to try. Thank you for the nomination, Hannah.

And today I’ve had a fourth nomination from the lovely Kirsty at Navigating baby. She’s a fellow mum of four (and a fellow twin mummy) whose blog is full of ideas for kids activities and thoughts on parenting. I like this blog so much that I’d included it in my list of nominations until I found out that she’d nominated me! Thank you Kirsty.

The format of this award is to thank the person (or people) who nominated you, answer 11 set questions and then nominate another 11 bloggers to answer 11 new questions.

If you want to read my other blogging award posts you can find them here:

My Liebster Award

My Versatile Blogger Award

My answers

1. What is your dream job?

Well my dream would be to win the lottery so I don’t have to work at all. Until then, though, I can honestly say I enjoy the job I’ve got now. I’m an accountant (yes, I am a geek), and I enjoy the problem solving aspect of my work. I also love the work-life balance (I only work three days a week and am able to work from home) and my colleagues are all a good laugh.

2. What is your laugh like?

I’ve definitely got a cackle, the type that some would describe as a dirty laugh.

3. What is your favourite place in the world?

I’m lucky enough to have been to some lovely places. Fiji was amazing for relaxing by the sea, Italy for the history (Rome, Florence, Pompeii) but closer to home it has to be north Cornwall. I love the rugged coastline and the atmosphere/pace of life there.

4. What is your favourite blog post you’ve ever written?

I think its my lime and ginger cheesecake recipe. I made it with the children (and even though its messy I’m finding cooking with kids fun) and its also a recipe I’ve been making since I was in University. And it tastes amazing!

5. Apart from blogging what are your hobbies?

I really don’t have a lot of spare time these days but I do still try to find time for geocaching. In case you haven’t heard of it its a kind of treasure hunt where you use an app on your phone or a gps to get to a set location and find a container. My favourite ones involve a good walk through the countryside which I find great for de-stressing.

6. What things are you grateful for?

The simple things really – I’ve got an amazing family and a some great friends. I’m also very grateful for my health. I turned 40 last year and have a couple of friends who have health issues.

7. Do you believe that there is someone out there for everyone?

I think there is probably more than one person out there for everyone – I don’t think that there is one person in the wold who we are perfectly matched to. All relationships (not just romantic ones) need to have a bit of time and effort spent on them and all of them involve compromise at some point.

8. What food could you not live without?

Oooh, this is a tricky one because there are quite a few. I’ve got a big old sweet tooth, though, so I’m going to go for chocolate 😊.

9. What is the story behind your blog?

I first had the idea to start this blog a few years back – the twins were napping as babies and I made some chocolate cookies with Will. He was so happy, and proud of his work afterwards that I wanted to tell everyone about it. A few years and one more baby later I finally got round to doing something about it! At that point I was in a routine of cooking the same meals every week and bored of them all. I thought that writing about the meals I cook would encourage me to dust off my old recipe book and to try new recipes too. It definitely has. I’m also hoping my blog will encourage people to get into the kitchen and cook, whether thats a quick weekday evening meal or making something tasty with their children, who can learn so much through cooking.

10. Do you consider yourself to be a creative person?

Nope! Well, I didn’t until I started this blog. The subjects I enjoyed at school were all fact based and in my job now I enjoy problem solving, knowing that there is one right answer waiting to be found. I do enjoy being creative in the kitchen, though. I can’t see my recipes ever being fancy or tricky but I enjoy bunging ingredients in and seeing what the result is (which sometimes makes it difficult to remember the recipe when I come to post it!).